The Republic of Maldives comprises 1 192 islands, of which only 202 are inhabited. The chain of islands spans the equator South of India in a north-south string that is 760 km in length. The land area is 298 km2, of which only 10% (30 km2) is suitable for agricultural crops. Mal�, the capital of the country, is an island, 1.6 km2 in area, with a very dense population of 60 000 (1991). The per caput Gross National Product (GNP) by 1991 World Bank estimates was $US 600.
The main objectives of National Development Plan IV (1994-97) were to increase agricultural production, raise farmers' income and accelerate the process of import substitution. In 1990 the agricultural and the fisheries sectors represented 9%and 15% of GNP, respectively. Tourism has expanded rapidly over the recent years, contributing 18% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during 1990 itself. The number of tourists per year is almost equal to the country's population of 240 000 (1994 census). The average stay of a tourist is estimated to be nine days. To cater to the consumption of the tourists, imports of poultry and poultry products increased to Rf 24 700 000, equivalent to $US 2 200 000, by 1991, a five-fold increase in a span of 10 years. Chicken meat alone was 480 tonnes in 1991, equivalent to 1 000 dressed chickens per day. Imports of eggs during 1992 amounted to 850 tonnes, equivalent to a flock of over 77 000 hens (laying 200 eggs/bird/year with an average weight of 55 g/egg).
According to 1995 customs figures the country imported 999.4 tonnes of poultry meat and cut-up parts equivalent to 2 093 dressed broilers/day, and 28 447 040 eggs equivalent to 142 235 layers maintained per year, double the requirements and imports of 1991.
The traditional food habits of eating carbohydrates with fish, coconut and breadfruit are changing rapidly in the islands because of purchasing power and growing interest in chicken meat and eggs. Red meats are not readily available, as cattle, sheep and goats (except for a few) are not reared in the country. Thus, the importance of and demand for poultry products is quite high.
Native chickens are almost a jungle fowl type that subsist on scavenging and foraging and their multiplication is largely affected by predators. Their feed conversion may not be economical even for the scavenging and foraging inputs.
The UNDP brief for the Round Table Meeting in Maldives in October 1994 indicated great interest of the Government of Maldives and UNDP in the development of the poultry sector in Maldives. Some major constraints for the development of poultry production were also identified. They included:
- lack of information on the productivity of local chickens and ducks for egg and meat production under intensive farming;
- lack of information on the productivity of crossbreeds of local and commercial breeds of poultry;
- lack of information on the utilization of locally available feed resources - either surplus or unsuitable for human needs;
- lack of skills in the preparation of fully balanced rations for all types of poultry, formulated on a least-cost basis;
- lack of knowledge of prevailing poultry diseases and increase in disease problems with intensive poultry keeping.
The Government of Maldives therefore requested FAO to provide information on which to base feasibility studies, to enable it to plan effective import replacement policies for poultry products, including the broader issues of feed milling, establishment of hatcheries and parent breeder flock options. FAO was also requested to provide expertise in the management of commercial poultry enterprises, especially with regard to the design of appropriate poultry housing systems, storage and marketing of poultry meat and eggs, poultry nutrition and disease control, and to assist in the transfer of technology in the above areas through training and extension.
This assistance was approved by FAO on 27 February 1995 under the Technical Cooperation Programme project TCP/MDV/4553, Poultry Meat and Egg Production, Northern Atoll Region, with a budget of $US 153 000. The project, originally estimated to begin in March 1995 and end in August 1996, actually started on 28 July 1995 and ended on 27 July 1997. The budget was duly increased to $US 163 000. The Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture was designated the government agency responsible for project execution.
The objectives of the project were to:
- establish a pilot poultry unit on Kulhudhufushi island, which would provide basic performance parameters on which to base alternative poultry development options leading to self-sufficiency in poultry produce; and
- train counterparts in important areas of commercial poultry management appropriate to the conditions in the country.
The proposed strategy was to select local ducks and chickens from nearby backyard farms, raise them in a semi-confinement system and compare production, using locally formulated and imported feed. Comparisons were to be made with imported stock from India and Sri Lanka, as well as crosses between local breeds. Stock would be evaluated under private farmer conditions in cooperation with the Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO)/Government programme.
It was not possible to obtain health clearance to set up a poultry unit in Kulhudhufushi, as this island had become an atoll capital with a population of 6 500, a hospital and a regional high school. The alternative place decided upon was Hanimaadhoo island, with an airport having four flights from Mal� each week, 24 hours uninterrupted power supply, plenty of land, and a population of only 900.
The original concept of testing the birds and comparing their performance with exotic commercial breeds was dropped by the Government; adaptation of the commercial varieties to a wide range of environmental situations in the world (including similar conditions) and feed cost and quality were the main determinants in this situation.
It was decided to construct a smaller poultry shed than originally indicated in the Project Agreement. An 18 m x 7 m shed was finally agreed upon, to house a dual-purpose breed of chicken to produce hatching eggs (fertile eggs), so that chicks could be supplied to different island farmers for them to grow under local conditions.
In view of the delay in construction of the poultry house and project implementation, the Government of Maldives requested FAO to revise the project schedule and to include the training of two persons at the Central Poultry Training Institute, Bangalore, India. In November 1996, FAO agreed to extend the project up to 27 July 1997 and included two study tours in Bangalore within the approved allocation.
The Government of Maldives constructed a good poultry shed in the dimensions agreed upon. The shed had three partitions making four pens (rooms), two of which were 6 m long and the other two 3 m long. The long axis of the shed was from east to west, with the smaller partitions at the eastern end. Half of the first pen from the eastern end was free to be used for the weighing of feed and the preparation of medications and vaccines. The three pens could therefore accommodate 400 female breeders and 40 male breeders for the production of eggs. They could also accommodate 1 000 chicks for brooding and maintenance up to 8 weeks. In addition to power supply, the shed has two underground water storage tanks to collect and store rain water from the roof, as well as an open well with reasonably good water.
Land and climatic conditions in Maldives are quite inadequate for poultry production under intensive systems and inputs are not readily available. Considering all aspects, it was advised to augment local poultry production through a suitable breed of chickens, and the Giriraja breed of chickens, which are dual-purpose and thrive well under adverse/inadequate local conditions, were recommended. This variety has been developed and commercialized for the past decade by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India. A batch of 570 (450 females and 120 males) day-old Giriraja chicks was supplied to the poultry unit from India; they were reared up to eight weeks of age, vaccinated for fowl pox and Newcastle Disease and then distributed at cost price to 100 different farmers, in batches consisting of four females and one male. The farmers were expected to rear and breed them to produce chicks under native hens, in order to promote the improved dual-purpose variety of chickens and increase poultry production.
Until the hatchery unit is commissioned and production starts, day-old chicks from Bangalore can be bought at the rate of 500 chicks every four weeks, reared up to eight weeks (the same chick feeders and waterers can be used for the next batch) and distributed to farmers at cost price. Thus each batch can serve 100 farmers. When the hatchery is commissioned, the poultry shed will have 400 female breeders producing hatching eggs.
Poultry equipment required for 500 birds up to 72 weeks of age was procured and supplied. The poultry house contains breeding stocks of the chosen breed/variety, which produce hatching eggs that are then converted into day-old chicks to be supplied to the farmers on the islands. Equipment for a sizeable hatching unit, including spare parts to take care of the maintenance of machinery for a few years, was supplied. It was advised that the hatchery unit be at a distance from the poultry shed and residential area, in order to maintain proper sanitary and hygienic conditions and avoid diseases being transmitted to chicks. This unit will receive only hatching eggs from the poultry unit and from other sources if required.
When the hatchery unit is ready, the necessary equipment will be installed and commissioned. When demand for Giriraja chicks picks up, hatching eggs can be imported from India. Likewise, when private individuals start commercial layer/broiler units under intensive systems of management, hatching eggs can be procured from other countries and hatched in this unit, to serve the country's requirements.
At the time this report was written, feed was unavailable, thus 3 tonnes of pelleted feed sufficient for up to 8 weeks was supplied by the project, consisting of a vitamin and mineral mix.
The vaccines, medicines and disinfectant required for the first batch of chicks was provided by the project, as also the refrigeration facilities to store hatching eggs and vaccines.
Infrastructural facilities required for implementing the project and poultry stocks suitable for the country's rural conditions were provided. The primary aim of the project was thus fully achieved. The poultry unit should be able to augment poultry production, thus improving rural economy by making eggs and chickens available on the islands and improving the nutrition of the people. At the outset, the requirement of eggs and chickens of the rural population will be fully met and when production increases it will result in a reduction in imports of poultry products.
Two persons from MOFA were trained over eight weeks at the Central Poultry Training Institute in Bangalore, from 19 February to 11 April 1997, in Chicken and Duck Production and Management, covering theory, practical field visits and study tours.
The two officers are now able to take care of the management of the project with the assistance of two poultry attendants, who may be given on-the-job training. When the hatchery is ready to be commissioned, it may be necessary to provide four weeks' special training in hatchery operations to the Senior Officer in charge of the project.
It is recommended that the Government of Maldives take steps to import feed for the country's requirements.
In case of a good response and demand from farmers for the dual-purpose breed Giriraja, 500 day-old chicks can be bought at four-week intervals, together with the required feed, vaccines and medicines, grown to eight weeks of age, and distributed to farmers at cost price.
The hatchery unit should be established as soon as possible, and equipped with the material supplied by the project. Depending on the demand for chicks, hatching eggs from a reputed source may be procured and utilized for hatching.
Farmers should be provided farm-level training for better management of their flocks. Of the two persons trained, the Senior Officer may be sent for special training in hatchery management, including incubator maintenance, for four weeks.
